- Client-centered care
- Trauma-informed focus
- Adoption and foster care
About Elisa
Elisa Mantel-Smith is a licensed clinical social worker who centers her practice on meeting people where they are. She draws on ten years of clinical experience to help clients manage stress, anxiety, grief, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, and major life changes. Elisa is based in New York and works in English.
She uses straightforward, empathic conversation to understand what matters most to each person. Sessions focus on practical steps and emotional processing, with attention to topics such as adoption and foster care, trauma and loss, caregiving strain, and issues around intimacy and self-esteem. She also helps people facing medical or fertility concerns and those coping with obsessive or compulsive symptoms.
Her work combines client-centered listening with goal-oriented tools from cognitive behavioral and solution-focused approaches. Emotionally-focused and trauma-focused methods are available when relational patterns or past hurts are a central concern. Together these approaches aim to reduce distress, improve communication, and build clearer routines for daily life.
Elisa earned a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and holds the LCSW-R credential in New York. Over the past decade she has supported individuals, groups, and caregivers through both acute crises and longer-term transitions.
If you want a therapist who will listen without judgment and help you map small, doable changes, Elisa offers that steady, practical support. To begin, follow the site's intake steps to match and schedule a session.
How her approaches translate to online work
Elisa uses client-centered methods that prioritize listening and building trust, helping people name what matters and set realistic goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on practical strategies to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can be practiced between sessions to reduce anxiety, depression, and rumination.Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. She will work with each person to match methods to their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting direction as progress or new concerns emerge. That means the plan can shift over time based on what is most helpful.
Session format options are not specified in the provided biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove commute time. Many people find it simpler to attend appointments while juggling work, caregiving, or medical appointments, and the same clinical approaches can be adapted to remote sessions when the format fits the client's circumstances.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Elisa help with?
She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family issues, parenting strain, trauma and abuse, addiction concerns, eating and body image issues, and ADHD-related challenges.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style blends client-centered listening with practical, goal-focused techniques from cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, emotionally-focused, and trauma-focused approaches.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has ten years of clinical experience working with individuals, families, and groups on health, fertility, loss, and other life issues.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She holds the LCSW-R credential and is practicing in New York.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a therapy process with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.